Lord Voldemort is back! And not even the Muggle world can avoid the deadly consequences of his return. But the new year at Hogwarts also brings a brighter celebrity to Harry's life, as the Wizarding world, now realizing he has been telling the truth for a year about the Dark Lord's return, now believes him to be "Chosen One," the one who will ultimately defeat him. As Harry enters his sixth school year at Hogwarts, Headmaster Dumbledore, bearing a recently scarred hand by reasons unexplained, provides private lessons to Harry to aid in his battle against the Dark Lord; with the use of the Pensieve, Dumbledore reveals to Harry the early life and beginnings of Tom Marvolo Riddle. Harry is also distracted this year by Ron and Hermione's wreckless yet budding romance and Ginny's choices in boyfriends, but no issue is more distracting than Harry's building suspicions of Snape as an agent for the Dark Lord, who not only becomes the school's latest Dark Arts instructor but discovers a closer relationship between the Order of the Phoenix member and Draco Malfoy. (FP)

This year's Defense Against the Dark Arts instructor: Professor Severus Snape.

Rufus Scrimgeour: The Prime Minister's first, foolish thought was that Rufus Scrimgeour looked rather like an old lion. There were streaks of gray in his mane of tawny hair and his bushy eyebrows; he had keen yellowish eyes behind a pair of wire-rimmed spectacles and a certain rangy, loping grace even though he walked with a slight limp. There was an immediate impression of shrewdness and toughness; the Prime Minister thought he understood why the Wizarding community preferred Scrimgeour to Fudge as a leader in these dangerous times. (Excerpted from Chapter One, page 16)

Inferi: "They are corpses," said Dumbledore calmly. "Dead bodies that have been bewitched to do a Dark wizard's bidding. Inferi have not been seen for a long time, however, not since Voldemort was last powerful....He killed enough people to make an army of them, of course." (Excerpted from Chapter Four, page 62)

Horace Slughorn: "Horace," said Dumbledore, relieving Harry of the responsibility to say any of this, "likes his comfort. He also likes the company of the famous, the successful, and the powerful. He enjoys the feeling that he influences these people. He has never wanted to occupy the throne himself; he prefers the backseat – more room to spread out, you see. He used to handpick favorites at Hogwarts, sometimes for their ambition or their brains, sometimes for their charm or their talent, and he had an uncanny knack for choosing those who would go on to become outstanding in their various fields. Horace formed a kind of club of his favorites with himself at the center, making introductions, forging useful contacts between members, and always reaping some kind of benefit in return, whether a free box of his favorite crystalized pineapple or the chance to recommend the next junior member of the Goblin Liaison Office." (Excerpted from Chapter Four, pages 74-75)

Felix Felicis: "It's liquid luck," said Hermione excitedly. "It makes you lucky!" (Excerpted from Chapter Nine, page 187)

Marvolo Gaunt: "Voldemort's grandfather, yes," said Dumbledore. "Marvolo, his son, Morfin, and his daughter, Merope, were the last of the Gaunts, a very ancient Wizarding family noted for a vein of instability and violence that flourished through the generations due to their habit of marrying their own cousins." (Excerpted from Chapter Ten, pages 212)

Unbreakable Vow: "An Unbreakable Vow?" said Ron, looking stunned. "Nah, he can't have....Are you sure?"/"Yes, I'm sure," said Harry. "Why, what does it mean?"/"Well, you can't break an Unbreakable Vow...."/"I'd worked that much out for myself, funnily enough. What happens if you break it, then?"/"You die," said Ron simply. (Excerpted from Chapter Sixteen, page 325-326)

Horcrux: "A Horcrux is the word used for an object in which a person has concealed part of their soul." (Excerpted from Chapter Twenty-Three, page 497)

Eileen Prince: The picture showed a skinny girl of around fifteen. She was not pretty; she looked simultaneously cross and sullen, with heavy brows and a long, pallid face. Underneath the photograph was the caption: Eileen Prince, Captain of the Hogwarts Gobstones Team. (Excerpted from Chapter Twenty-Five, page 537)